Nurses and other caregivers at hospitals, assisted living facilities, and other locations often care for patients that have limited or no mobility, many of whom are critically ill or injured. In these patients, healthcare workers must devote a significant amount of time, attention, and effort to moving patients, either within the bed to prevent the development of pressure ulcers or from the bed to another support surface, such as a gurney, stretcher, or wheelchair. There are several methods employed to effect such movement, including the use of slide boards, draw sheets, and/or overhead mechanical patient lifts. Recently, one field of technological innovation has focused on the use of air supplies and patient transport mattresses to accomplish these tasks. Examples of such devices and products are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,735,164 and 8,276,222 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/829,361, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. These devices provide generally effective means for moving a patient in a manner that is safe for both the patient and the healthcare provider.
One limitation of the technology in the air-assisted patient movement field is the current state of the air supplies, or pumps, used to inflate the transfer mattresses. These pumps generally take up a great deal of floor space, presenting a tripping hazard to the healthcare workers and interfering with the task at hand. Moreover, the air supply connects to the transfer mattress via a hose or tube. This hose may be from two feet up to 25 feet long, depending on its location or function in the healthcare facility (e.g., 25-foot long hoses are often necessary in MRI suites, where the metal pump cannot be placed inside the suite). Nevertheless, the power switch for the air supply is located on the body of the pump itself, not at a location convenient to the caregiver while he or she is bedside with the patient. Such configurations require the caregiver to physically move away from the bedside, diverting not only his or her body and hands but also his or her attention from the patient. Such diversion increases the risk of injury to the patient, as the caregiver cannot react to sudden shifts, slips, or falls of the patient's body.
Furthermore, existing technology in the field of air supplies does not adequately account for the concerns or priorities of a healthcare environment. The pumps are not designed to maintain the operator's attention on the patient. Moreover, the pumps are not designed to prevent bacterial or viral contamination of the patient, the transfer mattress, or the room.
The present disclosure seeks to overcome certain of these limitations and other drawbacks of existing devices, systems, and methods, and to provide new features not heretofore available.